How Toilet Paper Brought Supply Chain Management to the Pandemic Front Lines

"Supply chain" became the buzz phrase at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when supermarket shelves--and online retailers--were emptied of hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, and toilet paper. Most of the time how the products we want, or need, arrive at the retailers is not on our minds--unless you drive by an 18-wheeler emblazoned with a particular logo. But as the director of Freight Planning at the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, it is Anne Strauss-Wieder's job to make sure the shelves are stocked with what consumers are looking for. As one of the largest and busiest freight hubs in the U.S., the agencies of the NJTPA were critical during the pandemic's earliest days in keeping the goods moving from into and through New Jersey.  Also an instructor in supply chain management for the Bloustein School, in this episode of EJB Talks, she breaks down the "breakdown" of the supply chain at the start of the pandemic with host Stuart Shapiro.